Piano-action.



PATENTED MAY 15, 1906.

ACTION.

ILED MAR-10. 1905.

0. A. LAMBERT.

PIANO APPLIOATION'F WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAYTON A. LAMBERT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE BALDWINCOMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

PIANO-ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 15, 1906.

Application iiled March 10, 1905- Serial No. 249,345.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLAYTON A. LAMBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Actions, ofwhich the following is a full and clear description.

My invention relates to the flanges used in said actions, which form thepivotal bearings for the various moving parts and by which said movingparts are secured to the action rails; and the object of my invention isto provide for this purpose a metal flange adapted to securely hold thecenter-pins and at the same time provide for the expansion andcontraction of the Wood rails, due to climatic influences, as will behereinafter fully described.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows a section of a piano-action inwhich my improved flange is applied. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of myflange. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 show the blanks for my flanges as variouslyapplied, stamped from the metal sheet.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The flange 1 is made from a blank of spring-brass or other metal formedwith suitable dies, and comprises a pivotal bearing 2 for holding thecenter-pin 8, made by bending one end upon itself to form a bearingmember 4, and a spring-clamp made by bending the opposite end uponitself to form a clamping member 5, the free end of the clamping memberoverlapping the free end of the bearing member and clamping thecenter-pin in its position by means of the screw 6, which passes throughthe openings 7 and secures the flange firmly to the actionrail 8.

An important object of the spring-clamp 5 is to hold the flange firmlyin contact with the rail 8, even though the power of the screw 6 isrelaxed, as this prevents any tendency'of the flange to jar or rattle onthe rail or screw, in the event that the rail 8 should shrink whenexposed to conditions of extreme dryness.

One great objection to the ordinary wood flange is the difficulty ofkeeping them tight on the rail under the conditions described, and thesame may be said of the metal flanges heretofore made, as such flangeshave given trouble when the screws become slightly relaXed. Thiscondition makes the process of tightening the screws frequentlynecessary and is a great annoyance to the musician.

It will be observed that the clamping member 5 is formed from the widestand heaviest portion of the blank, and the cylindrical bend where it isturned upon itself is comparatively large, which insures the greatestpower to the spring and overcomes the objections referred to. Thatportion of the blank forming the bearing for the pin 3 is made muchnarrower than the remaining portion, and at its point of juncture withthe main body of the flange a shoulder 9 is formed on each side of thebearing member, which engages the edge of the rail 8 and holds theflange in its true position thereon. I This end is further attained byforming an inward curve 10 in that portion of the flange between theshoulders 9 and the bottom of the same and providing a correspondingraised portion 11 on the flange-rail, which forms a seat for the flange.The distance of the raised seat from the edge of the rail is such thatthe flange bears on the same at the point 12. This has a tendency, asthe screw 6 is tightened, to force the flange downward upon its seat andcauses the shoulders 9 to bear firmly upon the edge 12 of the rail 8.

My improved flange may be given slightly different forms in order toadapt it to different parts of a piano-action. In order to apply theflange to the damper-levers 13, loops 14 are formed at the ends of theoverlapping clamping member 5 to accommodate the lever-spring 15, whichis attached thereto.

In applying the flange to the fly or jack the curved portion 10 underthe shoulders is omitted, and the clamping member 5 is bent close uponitself and the lower part 19 of the same reduced in width to adapt itsbeing driven into an opeing 16 under the slot 17 in the wippen 18. Theflange thus rests securely in the slot and performs the function ofclamping the center-pin without the aid of a screw.

I am aware that prior to my invention metal flanges have been made bybending the metal upon itself to form a pivotal bearing, and that othershave been made by bending the metal upon itself to form a springclampfor the center-pin. I therefore do not claim, broadly, theseinventionsbut ICO What I do claim as my invention, and d esire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The combination with an action-rail, of a flange comprising a metalblank, one end of which is bent upon itself to form a pivotal bearingand the opposite end bent upon itself to form a spring-clamp, saidflange having two opposed openings in the clamping lnember for a screwby which the flange is attached to the action-rail, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination with an action-rail, of a flange comprising a metalblank, one end of which is bent upon itself to form a pivotal bearingand the opposite end bent upon itself to form a spring-clamp the end ofthe clamping member overlapping the end of the bearing member saidflange having two opposed openings in the spring member for a screwwhereby the flange is attached to the action-rail, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination with an action-rail, of a flange comprising a metalblank with a narrow end portion bent upon itself to form a pivotalbearing, and a wide end portion bent upon itself to form a spring-clamp;said wide member overlapping and clamping the free end of said narrowmember; said flange having two opposed openings in the wide member for ascrew, whereby the flange is attached to the actionrail, substantiallyas described.

4. The combination with an action-rail, of a flange comprising a metalblank with a narrow end portion bent upon itself to form a pivotalbearing and a wide end portion bent upon itself to form a spring-clamp;said wide member overlapping and clamping the free end of said n arrowmember; said flange having a shoulder projecting from the wide member oneach side of the narrow member; said shoulders being bent at rightangles to the face of said flange and adapted to bear on the edge ofsaid action-rail; and two opposed openings in said Wide member for ascrew whereby said flange is attached to said. action.- rail,substantially as described.

5. The combination with an action-rail of a flange comprising a metalblank, one en d of which is bent upon itself to form a pivotal bearingand the opposite end bent upon.

itself to form a spring-clamp; the end of the clamping memberoverlapping the end of the bearing member; said flange having the middleportion thereof shaped with an inward curve, adapting it to rest on anoutwardlycurved bearing on the action-rail; and two opposed openingsinthe clamping member for the screw whereby said flange is attached tosaid action-rail, substantially as described.

6. The combination with an action-rail S of a flange 1, comprising ametal blank, one end of which is bent upon itself to form a bearingmember l, having a pivotal bearing 2 adapted to hold the center-pin 3;the op posite end bent upon itself to form a clamping member 5, saidclamping member overlapping and clamping said bearing member; saidflange having a shoulder 9 formed on each side of the bearing member,adapted to rest in contact with the edge of the actionrail 8; and amiddle portion 10 formed with an inward curve, a raised bearing 11 onsaid action-rail upon, which the curved portion of said flange rests;said flange having two opposed openings 7 in the clamping member 5 forthe screw 6, whereby said flange is attached to said action-rail andheld in contact With the bearing 11 and edge of said rail, substantiallyas described.

7. The combination with an action-rail of a flange comprising a metalblank, one end of which is bent upon itself to form a pivotal bearingand the opposite end bent upon itself to form a spring-clamp; theclamping member overlapping and clamping the bearing member; the end ofthe blank forming said clamping member having extensions from each sideof the same bent to form loops; said clamping member having two openingsfor a screw whereby said flange is attached to the rail and the clampingmember clamped upon the bearing member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

CLAYTON A. LAA'IBERT.

Witnesses:

J WV. MAoY, H. K. BLIN N.

